Leh, Nov. 5 -- Sonam Wangchuk's Himalayan Institute of Alternative Ladakh (HIAL), which projects itself as an institution committed to progressive and humanitarian values, is facing allegations of labour law violations and mistreatment of a woman employee who worked there since 2023.
Amina Khatoon has approached the Labour Court in Leh, alleging that the institute withheld her statutory maternity benefits, withdrew her official communication access after childbirth and delayed issuing her experience certificate, adversely affecting her career prospects.
The case, registered before the Assistant Labour Commissioner (ALC), Leh, on June 27, 2026, is scheduled for November 7 for final orders after repeated notices to senior institute officials failed to secure their appearance.
In her complaint, Khatoon stated that she continued working throughout her pregnancy before proceeding on maternity leave on March 9, 2024, in accordance with her contract and applicable law. Despite submitting the required medical and delivery documents within the prescribed timelines, HIAL allegedly withheld her 26 weeks of statutory maternity salary without providing any justification.
She further alleged that within a month of delivering her baby, she was removed from official team communication groups and her corporate email account was deactivated. The management neither clarified her employment status nor informed her when she could resume work.
The sudden withdrawal of communication access and prolonged uncertainty allegedly caused her mental agony, anxiety and sleep deprivation during the postpartum period.
When she attempted to return to work, she was reportedly turned away and asked to await an update from the human resources department, which never came. The institute allegedly neither issued a formal termination letter nor confirmed her rejoining, while also withholding her experience certificate for an extended period.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.